Information about this project

The background for this piece is a Peyote weave plaque made with demi round beads. Start with an arm span length of thread (you will need to add thread several times into the weave) add a stopper bead about 10cm from the end of the thread. Now pick up 110 demi round beads, move down to stopper bead, then pick up one bead, miss the last of the 110 beads you first added and thread into the next bead, pick up another bead, miss the next bead, thread into the next bead. This is the basis of the Peyote weave, continue to do this to the end of the 110 beads. Turn round and go back the other way, keep the tension neat at the end of the rows particularly, it will look slightly untidy for the first row, but will become neater as you continue. Carry on weaving for approximately 40 rows, you can choose to do more or less depending what you would like the finished size to be. Once you have reached your desired length you will need to decrease for the top.

Step 2

Decrease row: Do not pick up bead, go into the end bead from previous row, make sure tension in good, then pick up bead and weave as before to the end. Continue like this at the beginning of the following 8 rows on each end.

Your piece will then look like this at each side. See image

This reduced section produces the top to hide the metal bar inside, you now need to turn this over and sew into the back of the plaque, this is very fiddly, you are Peyote weaving the top edge into the back of the piece. This makes a tube to fit the wire through. See images

Step 3

Remove stopper bead from the start and weave in the thread, tie half hitch weave further in and cut off.

Take a piece of 1.25mm wire the length of the piece with enough to make a loop on each end. Turn a loop on one end, thread the other end into the tube created and the loop the other end. The wire loops should just sit in the recess created by the decreases. Find the centre of the chain and open the link (or cut off if not open ring), add a jump ring to each end of the bar and attach to each of the newly open ends of your chain to create necklace. (You will find it easier to do this after you have added the fireworks.)

Step 4

Now make your fireworks, cut a length of silver plated wire to fit through beads, I used size .71mm wire and did not cut to exact length but threaded beads until happy and then cut the wire to length) and size 15 Delica and seed beads in bright mix of colours and a scattering of 3mm Swarovski crystals, thread randomly onto various lengths of wire, turn a loop at the other end of the wire, you should leave a small amount of slack on the wire (room to move the beads a little) when turning the loop to make sure you can bend the wire.

Step 5

Each firework is made up of around six of these, I also wire wrapped coils of wire to make a mini spring and included these, (done by wrapping a thin wire round a piece of the 1.25 wire to create a spring of wire) tie these together by folding slightly and suspend on a piece of .4 wire (I found it easier to tie a loose knot first and put the wires into the loop made by this.

Step 6

Once all the pieces are in place tie the knot tight. This makes the wires turn out at random angles, then you can bend the ends of the wires in different directions and curves to produce a firework effect. I made one large firework and two smaller ones, place randomly on the plaque and sew into place, I did this by securing one end of thread into the background then weaving the thread into the firework centre,, adding a few of the same colours Delica beads to hide thread and back into the background, weave in and secure with a half hitch, weave further before cutting thread. This is again fiddly as the thread tries to catch all the fire work ends, but weaving from the back makes it easier. Then add random Swarovski beads and seed beads to match the fireworks onto the background in the same way, weaving into the background beads. See image

Step 7

The earrings were made in Peyote weave tubes , 24 beads on the starter thread and weaving for fourteen rows, zipped up to form tube, with a few of the ‘firework’ beads and a Swarovski sewn directly onto tube rather than on wires so they would not catch in the hair of the wearer.